About

I’m in my mid-40s and have been running for about 19 years. I have finished 24 marathons with a personal best time of 3:04. I currently reside in San Diego, CA.

I enjoy running since it keeps you honest and will give back what you put into it. Work hard, but smart, and good results will eventually follow. I like to experiment with training plans, gadgets, shoes, and nutrition to find what works for me. The primary purpose of this blog is to document my training and thoughts about running in my ongoing quest to improve my fitness and health.

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11 Responses to About

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runningyokohama, lke you I can understand why you like the view over the olympic training site, albiet i enjoyed the views over San Diego bay from Balboa Park or even my sunrise runs along the PCH at Encinitas. regretfully my days in SD have past. Now in my late fourties, I too BQ’d but missed going to run it. Another day. In the mean time I am building to a sub 3hr 26.2. I have only been running for 5yrs.
AsussiemikeinSD
“Age is just a number after your name”

Thanks, for the comment. SD is a great place to train, I pinch myself every day. Good luck in working toward a sub-3 hour marathon. I’ve fantasized of someday going under 3, but admittedly I’m not sure I’m willing to go that far into the hurt locker, so a sub-3:10 is what I’m committed to doing in the near future. To get there, I think I’ll need to work on my speed this summer and do some shorter races. Took a look at your blog and see you’re doing some impressive times for someone in their late 40s – especially with only 5 years of running. Hope I’ll be able to continue to improve into my late forties, or at least hang on 🙂

Hi,
I found your blog when I looked up things to do in Yokohama. We just arrived and plan to be here at least 1 1/2 or 2 yrs. My husband is in oil and gas and I would like to teach English as a second language. We are almost empty-nesters and we need to exercise.
Can you tell me some of your favorite Yokohama secrets?
Can you recommend a place to look for a job (I prefer to teaching adults or teen girls). We’ve just finished two expat assignments in which we had little contact with Americans- so we hope to meet some here.
What is the most painless way to learn Japanese?
Can you recommend a church? We usually attend a Bible or a Baptist church.
Thanks!!

I no longer live in Japan, but it is a very nice and livable city. I’m not very familiar with the job market, but I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities to teach English. As you meet people, they will probably help you out in this regard.

As far as learning Japanese, I was never able to pick it up fluently. I know there are a few schools, but probably the best way would be just to immerse in the culture and teach yourself after taking some introductory classes. Seems like the people who aren’t afraid of making mistakes and are more extroverted tended to pick up the language faster than others.

Yokohama is a relatively international city, so you should have no problem getting around. There is also a large ex-pat community. Most people go through a few stages before settling in. First, everything is new and exciting, then you’ll see everything is not as perfect as it initially appeared and may become more critical wondering why things are so backwards, then acceptance takes root, routines develop, and then people begin to appreciate the differences for what they are.

There is a Baptist church in Negishi called the Yokohama Baptist Church and have services in English. I’ve been there a few times and they have a lot of foreigners that attend.

Not sure I have any secrets about Yokohama, but I would just suggest getting around and seeing Yamate (old foreign settlement), Yamashita Park, Osanbashi Pier, Sankeien Gardens, and experiencing the cuisine. If you don’t like crowds, which are everywhere, then go to these places in the morning.

Enjoy your experience, Japan is a wonderful country with so much to do.

Hello,
I just found your blog and it is very informative and I enjoyed reading it entirely. Pretty soon. Later this year I’ll take part in two marathons in japan (Osaka & Nara). Osaka will be my first ever. Do you have any advice for a debutant, if any? Thank you.

Thanks for the comment. Looks like you have a couple big marathons planned. I’ve never run Osaka or Nara, but maybe some day.

As far as advice, I think the key, especially for your first marathon is to avoid injury. Marathon training puts a significant amount of stress on the body, so you’ll want to ensure you don’t overdo it and show up at the start line healthy. If there were three things I would pass on, they are as follows:

1. Running: Don’t run back-to-back days. Focus on quality and not quantity. I personally only run three times a week. For your first marathon, the most important run is going to be your long run. You’ll want to build up to 20 miles, but probably not much more. I’ve been running for almost 20 years, and through trial and error, going beyond 20 miles isn’t worth the risk of injury or over-training. You’ll be better off going into the marathon a little under-trained than over doing it, and sometimes it can be a fine line. In addition, I would try and do at one speed work session (intervals or tempo run) during the week.

2. Rest and Recovery: Try and get adequate sleep. Since you’ll be stressing the body like it has never been before, you’ll need to ensure you provide enough time for your muscles, joints and ligaments to recover and get stronger. I personally need at least 8 hours of sleep each night and a short 20 minute afternoon nap to feel my best. Also, on the days you don’t run, a little cross-training (bike, stretch, strength, walking, hiking, etc.) goes a long way in helping with recovery if you have time.

3. Diet: Try and eat as clean as possible and limit processed foods. Eating as nutritious as possible will significantly aid in your recovery between runs.

Found your blog when I was looking for books written by runners. I have only been running for 5 years and find that it has driven me deeper in my walk with God. Just finished my first marathon this year!

I will be moving to Yokohama soon and wanted to know if there are any websites that you used for finding races or running groups. I haven’t been able to find anything like the coolrunnings that contain a list of events by city. I have found meetup and hope to use that but didn’t know if they have any more formal groups like I have been with in the US (USAFit).

There are two Japanese websites (use Google Translate to get the gist of the info) that I’ve used along with a foreigner’s runner’s club website in Tokyo. These websites provide a pretty comprehensive list of races going on in japan.